Supervising Attorney Director of Non-Citizen Project

Role: Supervising Attorney Director of NonCitizen Client Project

Location: New York

Hours: Fulltime Hybrid

Salary: $

About the Office of the Appellate Defender (OAD)

OAD is the second oldest institutional provider of appellate representation in New York City. For 36 years OAD has stood as a beacon of hope for people at the intersection of poverty and injustice. Our clients have been convicted of felony offenses in Manhattan and/or the Bronx and have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment and postrelease supervision. Despite the circumstances of our clients offenses convictions and sentences we believe in the humanity and dignity of every human being which informs our client centered traumainformed advocacy. We are a beloved community of colleagues who are dedicated to public defense access to justice and racial equity.

Overview of the role

The Supervising Attorney will serve as the Director of the NonCitizen Client Project and is a member of the management team who reports to the Deputy AttorneyinCharge. You will provide guidance using appropriate leadership models including our doubleteam model for representation of OADs noncitizen clients in all aspects of postconviction and appellate work. You will also advise all OAD lawyers on matters relating to immigration law and its intersection with criminal law including the impact of clients criminal convictions on their immigration status and how OAD may ameliorate that impact via appellate and post conviction advocacy. The successful candidate has a proven track record of supporting team members in advocating for clients who have been marginalized particularly those who are not U.S. citizens and is energized by the opportunity to leverage that knowledge and experience for OADs continued success and sustainability.

Who You Are

• Experienced. You are a member in good standing of a bar in any jurisdiction and possess or can obtain NY licensure within a reasonable time. You have extensive experience in immigration law and its intersection with New York criminal law preferably including postconviction advocacy and/or trial court practice; excellent research writing and oral argument skills; a demonstrated commitment to public defense; and the ability to train others in these areas. Regardless of title you have supervised other individuals and/or managed a project with multiple team members. Fluency in languages other than English is strongly preferred.
• Leader. You have the demonstrated ability to lead teams and manage others of varying experience levels. You possess a peoplecentric and cultureforward approach to managing relationships in the workplace. You do not fear change and are solution oriented when differences arise. You challenge others to seek innovative and creative approaches to advocacy and encourage ongoing development by providing effective performance feedback and evaluation.

• Clear Communicator. You can communicate clearly and concisely. You provide useful feedback to the people working with you. You adopt an organizational voice to ensure written or oral communications are consistent with the inclusive culture we strive to maintain and build upon.

• Collaborative. You work effectively across roles to create a holistic environment to best address client needs.
• Passionate. You care deeply about people served by OAD and are enthusiastic about challenging the inequities of the criminal justice system.
• Agile. You have strong organizational and case management skills and have demonstrated success navigating gray areas in the law and working with competing priorities. You maintain composure and positivity in stressful situations. You are willing to take on new projects as the needs of the office or practice change.

What You Will Do

• Administer OADs NonCitizen Client Project by overseeing case and record intake establishing and improving internal protocols to maintain OADs high standards for clientcentered representation of noncitizen clients and representing OAD in the larger community of immigration and criminal defense advocates.

• Review pertinent criminal and immigration court client records to assess the immigration consequences of client convictions and draft comprehensive analyses to be reviewed by legal staff in furtherance of their representation of noncitizen clients.
• Supervise attorneys on postconviction advocacy for noncitizen clients including developing the client relationship and communicating with clients through a traumainformed lens; conferencing issues and developing strategy in anticipation of postconviction and appellate litigation; reviewing and revising submissions to be filed in connection with postconviction and appellate litigation; and providing support for attorneys.
• Consciously create and enhance a diverse inclusive and equitable work culture that is supportive collaborative and affirming to clients and colleagues by training and mentoring attorneys and law students; providing CLE and training programs for outside defender organizations; and collaborating with leadership to devise and implement big picture organizational goals.